Calibers

[JEBar]

just curious, do you tend to purchase multiple rifles of the same caliber or do you tend to move to a different caliber once you find a rifle you like in a given caliber .... please note, I'm not referring to rifles passed down from family or friends .... for example, I'm a fan of 30 caliber rifles .... as such I have a 30-30, a 308, a 30-06, and a 300 WBY Mag .... in addition, we have a 22, a 44 mag, and a 45-70 .... having rifles in these calibers I'm not prone to buy another rifle in any of them .... I have friends who own multiple 30-06's and that's fine .... its just not for me

[White Squirrel]

I have tried to have multiple firearms (both rifles and handguns) in the same calibers in order to reduce the different kinds of ammo I keep on hand. I had resolved not to get any new calibers. I was just going to stick to .22LR, 9mm, .357 Mag/.38, and .45ACP since I have both handguns and rifles in each of those and reload for all of them, except the .22LR, of course.

Then, in the last 30 days, I bought a .40 S&W pistol (new caliber), then a .357 Sig barrel that fits that new .40 S&W pistol (another new caliber) and a .223/5.56 bolt action rifle (a third new caliber).

And for my next purchase, I am already planning on picking up a .45C rifle and then I will need a .45C revolver to go with it (a fourth new caliber).

Then I will need to get reloading dies for all these new calibers.

And then I will need a place to live, because my wife will throw me out of the house.

[daytime dave]

I have five 30/06 rifles. Two are the exact same pump action Remington 7600's. They have similar scopes and both have look through scope mounts to use the iron sites. I wanted to let my step son borrow one while I used the other.

[JEBar]

I have tried to have multiple firearms (both rifles and handguns) in the same calibers in order to reduce the different kinds of ammo I keep on hand.

that is most certainly a valid consideration .... as a variation of the same point .... reducing reloading expenses was one of my main reasons for choosing 30 caliber .... most bullet manufactures offer a wider range of bullets in 30 caliber than they do other calibers .... as but one example, I can use the same Nosler 165 grain bullets in my 308, 30-06, and 300 WBY ....

[Deadwood Dutch]

After I bought my first .44 magnum rifle, new, and put a scope on it, I wanted another one that I could use without a scope, especially for rainy weather or in thick cover. So, I found a used Marlin .44 magnum which was what I was looking for. Other than those, I have four .22 rifles, three of them I bought new.

[Cowboy Gun Fan]

I also like to stick to the same Calibers. Including my Shotgun, I only use 4 different types.

[Henry88]

I'm 58 and I've only owned one Centerfire rifle in my life. It's a WIN M70 in .308.

Right now it's just that and 9mm, and I see no reason to add anything for the time being.

[Vaquero]

You mean like 4 30/30's, 3 35 Rem., 4 22 lr, 2 30-06's.
And you don't want me to even start on the hand guns.
Some of the hand guns even have a rifle to go with it.

[JEBar]

After I bought my first .44 magnum rifle, new, and put a scope on it, I wanted another one that I could use without a scope,

since all of the rifles I have that I use have scopes, I hadn't considered that point and it makes perfect sense to me .... if the circumstance should arise where I needed a rifle without a scope I could certainly see buying one ... thanks for the thought

[daytime dave]

When I decided on what caliber rifle I wanted, I weighed what I wanted to hunt- deer and bear. Where I wanted to hunt- the Adirondacks. Where I could get ammo if needed- anywhere. .30/06 can be had anywhere. That was it for me. Then I got my Remington bolt action, two 7600's a Springfield WW1 O3A3 and an M! Garand. All same caliber. No commercial ammo in the War veterans, but all the surplus ammo can go in any of them. It's a good all around cartridge for my purposes.

I have some .223's for the same reason. Ammo everywhere.

[Sir Henry]

I don't want to add any new calibers to my herd because I don't want to buy more ammo.

[JEBar]

availability of ammo is a very valid consideration .... there are several classic cartridges that are readily available .... 30-06 and in recent times 223 are certainly among them .... we've hand loaded our practice and hunting ammo since the mid '60's and make it a habit to keep plenty of rounds on hand .... just as noted with the availability of factory ammo, reloading cartridges for which the components are available sure makes things much simpler

[Squatch]

I like to keep it simple and also like the old cowboy thing of a handgun and rifle in the same caliber.

I have 3 Henry's:
22 Golden Boy and Handgun to match caliber.
44 mag Big Boy and handgun to match caliber.
45/70 and Not looking for a handgun to match Ha Ha! Though maybe someday a Sharps rifle in same caliber.

And a 45 acp. So I only need to be worried about handloading 3 calibers. Not looking for any others.

[Henry88]

availability of ammo is a very valid consideration .... there are several classic cartridges that are readily available .... 30-06 and in recent times 223 are certainly among them .... we've hand loaded our practice and hunting ammo since the mid '60's and make it a habit to keep plenty of rounds on hand .... just as noted with the availability of factory ammo, reloading cartridges for which the components are available sure makes things much simpler

I don't use my .308 much. Didn't even take it out of the safe this past season. But I did load up on 7.62mm FMJ for zombie day